Delegations of the Constitutional Courts of Belgium and the Czech Republic visit the Constitutional Court in the framework of tri-lateral cooperation

07.12.2017.

Today, on 7 December, a meeting between the Justices of the Constitutional Court of Latvia, the Constitutional Court of Belgium and the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic was held at the Constitutional Court in the framework of tri-lateral cooperation.

During the meeting, the Justices of the Constitutional Court discussed reviewing the legality of legislative procedure. Presentations were given by the President of the Constitutional Court of Belgium Etienne De Groot, the Vice-president of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic Jaroslav Fenyk, and Gunārs Kusiņš, the Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia. The presentations provided an insight into the legislative procedure of each state and focused upon the competence of each Constitutional Court in reviewing the legality of laws.

The Justices of the Constitutional Courts noted that the quality of laws was essential for the development of a state, as well as had an important role in the life of each member of society, therefore the legislator should ensure consistency of the legal system and compliance thereof with the general principles of law. It was emphasized that, within the European legal space, the constitutional courts were the constitutional body, which, inter alia, controls, whether the procedure of legislation complied with the principle of a state governed by the rule of law and whether the legal act created in legislation complied with the law in a broader meaning thereof.

The discussion will continue tomorrow, at the Saeima, where throughout the day the annual conference of the Constitutional Court will be held, this year focusing upon the constitutional control of the State budget. Jean Gaeremynck, the Counsellor of the State, the President of the Finance Section of the Council of State of France, the delegation of the Constitutional Court of Belgium, the delegation of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Ināra Mūrnice, the Speaker of the Saeima, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Jānis Vucāns, the Chairman of the Budget and Finance (Taxation) Committee of the Saeima, as well as the Justices and employees of the Constitutional Court, members of the Saeima and representatives of the Legal Bureau of the Saeima, the Ministry of Justice and the Bank of Latvia will participate in the conference. Ambassadors of the EU Member States, experts of constitutional law and and persons involved in drafting, adopting and supervising the budget have been invited to participate in th conference.

The Conference is organised by the Constitutional Court in co-operation with the Budget and Finance (Taxatio) Committee and the Legal Afairs Committee of the Saeima. The conference will be streamed online on the homepage of the Saeima: www.saeima.lv, making it acessible to all interested parties.

Photos are available here.